Dyson Sky
by RobLucciCipherEight
Summary: Decades ago, the world's most brutal war caused by a virtually unstoppable energy crisis came to an end. We had made a Dyson Sphere to stop that madness. Yet, our problems were not yet solved. A series of dark secrets lay beneath our world that were never meant to be known.
1. Five Petals in the Sky

_It was around 2056 that the energy crisis started. We needed a solution, and we had the technology to develop a permanent solution to our crisis. It took five decades to build, in which time our world suffered greatly. But in the end, our nations completed Project Wildflower._

_It was a self-sustaining fusion powered device that encompassed the sun and harnessed its energy to give to whatever solar-based technology we created._

_Despite the success of the project and the permanent end to our energy crisis, our planet saw an increase of revolutions and overturned governments during the transition from oil and coal to the Dyson Sphere._

_The ones who protested the massive amounts of money that went into the project before it went directly to us, the people, became bitter and angry with the United Nations and governments that agreed to build the Dyson Sphere._

_Disillusioned with our world, there was one group that sought to end everything. They had the power and means to take revenge for being abandoned, and so they began their plans._

_The world would soon see the faces of the most embittered._

-2120-

A dim blue light from a massive fish tank cast a glow into a room. A cloaked man stood, staring at the exotic fish swim back and forth, admiring the calmness of the aquatic life.

His black cloak had a tinge of blue at the chest. On the back of the cloak, the words "PATH OF WATER" were written in navy blue.

An electronic door slid by causing light to pour from the halls into the room. The cloaked man looked to the doorway to see another cloaked man standing with his hand held over his chest.

As he removed the hand, the color orange with a flame pattern at the chest became visible. He walked to the first cloaked man and pulled his hood down. His left eye glowed red in contrast to his natural looking right brown eye and a thin scar ran from his cheek to his blond hair.

"I am the Path of Fire, but you may call me Darius," Darius said, "I have been told by Ra to come to you."

The Path of Water looked to Darius and removed his hood as well, only for his face to be covered by a pale grey mask with red lines running down the eyes.

"Then I do believe it is time to begin," The Path of Water said, "I have been very patient."

"Ra takes his time and Vista is a secluded man," Darius said, "I barely understand how he intends to do it, but psychic duelists coming out of the woodwork might have to do with him gathering us just now."

"It's one of two reasons," The Path of Water said, "we're on the eve of a revolution."

-Dueling Track-

The sun, surrounded by a massive flower-like structure with five petals, shined brightly over a large stadium. Within were twisting and turning roads that surrounded a tall metal platform that reached into the sky.

Below on the ground level duelists in Duel Runners raced across the bottom floor basic race track. Under the stadium were garages which some duelists presided in while their friends or teammates raced on the tracks, generally watching them or lazily reading the news from holograms projected from tables.

In the garage, a late teenaged boy and girl both sat at a grated metal table facing each other while they sipped coffee. The boy, a slim figure with brown hair and bright green eyes, picked up his deck and took a card from it to hand to the girl.

The girl, also a slim figure, took the card and observed it through her glasses. She moved her long black hair out of her face to see the card better. It was "Paleozoic Fossil Knight - Skullking", a card the young man had obtained many years ago as a child.

"What about it, Dave?" She asked. The young man, Dave, looked at her with a bit of confusion. He took the card back and gave a bit of a smirk before speaking.

"Lily, the day I found this was the first day we met," Dave said, "I wanted to remind you since it's been ten years to the day."

Lily giggled. "Oh, I remember. You helped me find my Fabled Leviathan the day," she said, "it was in that old dump on the west side of town. I remember laughing when you gave that silly grin after you found it."

Dave smiled and grabbed his deck as he stood from the metal chair. He looked out at the racing track where his friend – Darrel – raced against an android as practice, having just summoned Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch by tributing Treeborn Frog.

-Darrel: 3400 LP/5 Speed Counter

-Android: 1200 LP/2 Speed Counter

"Now, with the effect of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, I discard a card from your hand," Darrel yelled. "If it's a monster, you take damage equal to its level times one hundred!"

Darrel hit a card in his hand- the level four Inpachi – sending it to the graveyard in a burst of flame.

-Android: 800 LP

Darrel looked at the caped and armored Monarch and smiled. Even with the android's Charcoal Inpachi, Darrel knew he had won. He revealed Speed Spell – Enemy Controller in his hand to activate the effect of Speed World 2 and removed four counters to inflict the last 800 to the dueling android.

-Android: 0 LP (LOSE)

A loud horn sounded off and the android's duel runner burst smoke, abruptly stopping on the track. Darrel drove his duel runner over to the garage where Dave and Lily were where he took off his black and blue helmet to reveal his black skin and spiky red hair.

"I'd like to think I'm prepared for the Dyson Championship," Darrel said, "my riding duel skills have gotten significantly better and I've had a perfect grasp on ground duels for years. Don't you think?"

"You'll do fine," Dave said, "all three of us should do well, really."

Lily tripped over the chair and stumbled to Darrel. She put her hand to the back of her head and gave a bit of a laugh before taking out her deck.

"Two of us should have a duel to really test our skills," Lily said, "a random android running a sucky Inpachi deck isn't the best matchup for Frog Monarchs, right?"

Darrel reluctantly nodded. "I'd like to duel, if you don't mind."

"Then I'll duel you," Dave said, "I've been eager, watching you kick android ass all day!"

Lily stepped back while Dave went over to his older, brown Duel Runner. It wasn't as up to date and as well-kept as Darrel's, but it had rarely failed him over the past three years he had used it. He took his red and white helmet from the seat and placed it on his head, giving a brief thumbs up to a smiling Lily.

He got on his runner and rode it a short distance to the start of the track, indicated by a holographic black and white checker flag. Darrel followed closely behind after he put his helmet back on, eager to duel his partner for the first time in many weeks.

"I'll give this first turn to you," Darrel said, "I've been waiting for this for quite some time."

Dave laughed. "I guess we'll see who's stronger."

A voice counted down from speakers in the stadium from three to zero while lights on the track above the two duelists lit up. As soon as the fourth light flashed, the two were off at high speeds with Dave going first. Both drew their five cards, while Dave followed immediately with a sixth.

-Darrel LP: 4000/0 Speed counter

-Dave LP: 4000/0 Speed counter

"I'll begin the duel with Shell Knight in face-up defense!" Dave yelled. A knight with bright shining shell-themed armor appeared and sat in a defensive pose on a large holographic card.

Shell Knight: 0 ATK/2000 DEF

The knight raised its bivalve-like hands and opened the shell to reveal artillery rockets. It fired them at Darrel's bike, causing a holographic explosion. As the smoke cleared, Darrel was grinning.

"When Shell Knight is summoned, it inflicts 500 damage to your life points!" Dave said.

"Not bad," Darrel said, "you enjoy opening with that play whenever you can."

-Darrel LP: 3500

Dave set two face-down cards in his spell and trap card zone, ready for whatever Darrel threw at him. He could hear Lily cheering from the garage as he sped by it again, leading him to smile a bit.

As Darrel's turn began, he drew.

Dave: 1 Speed counter

Darrel: 1 Speed counter

Darrel knew he had an advantage early game now that Dave opened defensive. Still wary of the traps, Darrel set a single monster – Treeborn Frog. He ended his turn without another card. Dave smiled when Darrel's end phase rolled around, knowing exactly what had been set. He started his next turn.

Dave: 2 Speed counters

Darrel: 2 Speed counters

With what he assumed to be Treeborn set, Dave carefully considered his options. Looking at his face-down cards, he decided to go for it, summoning Weathering Soldier; a large rock and bone creature. It came from the bottom of the road and landed on the large card, looking like it was ready to pounce.

Weathering Soldier – 2000 ATK/1200 DEF

"Now, with my Weathering Soldier, I attack your face down monster!" Dave yelled. "Anchor bind!"

The soldier's left hand shot out at the face down, connected to the arm by a chain. The claws went into the facedown and it flipped to reveal a golden frog with black stripes and small wings. It croaked as it shattered into pieces.

"I knew it." Dave clenched a fist. "During the end phase of this turn, Weathering Soldier loses 600 attack points."

Weathering Soldier: 2000 ATK 1400 ATK.

Darrel sighed and drew a card as his turn began, ready to initiate his plan.

Dave: 3 Speed counters

Darrel: 3 Speed counters

Particles began to come from the road when Darrel's standby phase started. The particles began to jumble to together, rematerializing Treeborn Frog to the field in defense.

Treeborn Frog: 100 ATK/100 DEF

"Now with my tribute engine ready, I'll sacrifice it to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" Darrel raised his hand as Treeborn dematerialized and from the particles came a burly, armored, and cloaked monster. It stood in front of Darrel's Duel Runner as its green afro sent an electric charge to both of its large palms.

Zaborg the Thunder Monarch: 2400 ATK/1000 DEF

Darrel lowered his hand and pointed at Shell Knight. "When he's tribute summoned, I can destroy a monster you control. But you knew that, right?"

Dave braced for impact as Zaborg sent a pulsating electric shock to Shell Knight, causing it to violently explode. As the smoke cleared, he saw Zaborg was charging for another strike. Darrel called for Zaborg to attack Weathering Soldier, but Dave smirked as Zaborg was about to send out another shock.

"I activate my face-down Speed Spell – Book of Moon!" Dave said. "I remove 2 Speed counters to flip your Zaborg face-down!"

Darrel laughed. "Nice try, Dave. But I have something to stop you. From my hand, I activate Speed Spell – Forbidden Lance, so I remove a speed counter so your spell and trap effects won't affect my Zaborg this turn. As a cost for that, he loses 800 attack points until the end phase."

Dave: 1 Speed counter

Darrel: 2 Speed counters

Zaborg the Thunder Monarch: 2400 ATK 1600 ATK.

Zaborg carried a large, heavy lance that materialized in his left hand. A blue glow was cast around him, protecting him from Book of Moon's effect. As the black glow of the Book vanished, Zaborg lunged forward at Weathering Soldier with the lance, impaling and immediately destroying it.

-Dave LP: 3800

"Would've been nice to have Weathering for my next turn, but I'll be good," Dave said. Darrel raised an eyebrow and ended his turn, allowing Dave to draw.

Dave: 2 Speed counters

Darrel: 3 Speed counters

Dave's Duel Runner started to fall behind Darrel's as his speed counters were lower. As Darrel passed by, Zaborg gave a menacing glare, charging his hands and readying for the next turn.

Zaborg the Thunder Monarch: 1600 ATK 2400 ATK

"There's a way to tear apart your strategy, and I've been waiting this whole time for it." Dave removed two speed counters, sending him even farther behind, to activate Speed Spell – Fossil Fusion.

"With this I can fuse a monster in your graveyard with a rock type in mine by banishing both," Dave said, "I'm surprised you were reckless enough to leave Treeborn in there during our duel."

Darrel looked at his hand at shrugged knowing Dave still had few options. Treeborn and Shell Knight were both banished, causing a rift in the distance between the two runners. Out of the rift came a skeletal creature.

"I summon Cenozoic Fossil Amphibian – Skulltoad!"

Cenozoic Fossil Amphibian – Skulltoad: 1600 ATK/1600 DEF

"While he may not have an effect or even be very useful in his initial form, I have a way to fix that," Dave said, "I activate my facedown trap, Fossil De-Evolution. I can take my Skulltoad and summon his Mesozoic form to the field."

The skeletal creature started to decay and lose its legs, forming into a larger and more eel-like creature. Its legs flew across the track, shattering, and the eel gave a disgusting wet sound from its mouth as it appeared onto the field.

Mesozoic Fossil Amphibian – Skulleel: 2200 ATK/1600 DEF

"With his effect, I can change your monster's battle position," Dave said, "and my monster inflicts piercing damage!"

Skulleel floated to Zaborg and bit the Monarch's left arm with its filthy old teeth, causing Zaborg to give a loud groan of pain. It shook Skulleel off, but went into defense position in the process.

Skulleel followed up by impaling Zaborg with its skeletal tail as Dave ordered for it to attack. Zaborg gave a deep yell and exploded, sending a large burst of wind that forced Darrel to slow down his Runner next to Dave's.

-Darrel LP: 2300

"You're not going to give me a run for my money, Dave," Darrel said, "you're good, but I've been at the dueling game for much longer."

He was right, Dave thought. Even if he won this duel, it wouldn't truly prove he was better than Darrel – Darrel himself was far more accomplished and had won regional tournaments on numerous occasions. Dave knew he had an advantage because he knew his opponent's deck well – a luxury he probably won't have against most opponents when he competes in the Dyson Championship.

Knowing Darrel's deck also alerted him to the fact he has in no way won the duel for himself yet. Dave still kept his head high as his turn ended and Darrel drew.

Dave: 1 Speed counter

Darrel: 4 Speed counters

Darrel pointed to Skulleel and activated a spell: Speed Spell – Soul Exchange.

"By removing two of my speed counters, I can use him as a tribute," Darrel said, "the only downside is that I can't attack with my tribute monster."

Darrel: 2 Speed counters.

Skulleel's bones broke apart and fell to the ground. A silver armored and red caped monarch jumped from the remains of Skulleel to Darrel's field, leaving a trail of fire behind. He turned to Dave, snapping his fingers.

"I summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" Darrel yelled. "With his effect, I'll get rid of a card in your hand and inflict a hundred damage to you times its level if it's a monster!"

Thestalos snapped his fingers a final time before sending a spark to Dave's hand. Flint Cragger was hit, sending it to the graveyard.

"Since Cragger's level is three, you take 300," Darrel said, "it's not much, but by your turn all you'll have is three cards while I have a steady supply of Monarchs."

-Dave LP: 3500

"I'll end my turn with that." Darrel gave a confident look, but he knew Dave was capable of turning the duel around.

Dave: 2 Speed counters.

Darrel: 3 Speed counters.

Dave had drawn something very useful as a follow up play, but he sighed when he glanced at his speed counters. Hoping this would work, he removed two counters to once again activate Speed Spell – Fossil Fusion.

"I banish my Flint Cragger and your Zaborg!" Dave yelled. Darrel gave a surprised look, realizing Zaborg was a thunder-type.

The same rift from earlier reappeared with a straight bolt of electricity in the center hardening. The staff of fulgurite formed a yellow cape and two skeletal arms that were conducting electricity.

"I summon Mesozoic Fossil Fulgurite – Skullshock!" Dave looked ahead to Darrel and his Thestalos, ready to move ahead.

Mesozoic Fossil Fulgurite – Skullshock – 2500 ATK/400 DEF

"Once per turn with my Skullshock I can send a card in my hand to the graveyard to destroy a monster you control." Dave discarded Speed Spell – Time Stream to the graveyard. "Thestalos is done!"

Skullshock reached out with its lanky arms and set off a large discharge that hit Thestalos in the chest, causing an explosion. Darrel looked onwards as Skullshock followed with a direct attack as Dave commanded it to strike, a loud bell sound could be heard across the stadium.

Dave winced at the loud sound and saw the source was a bat-like demonic clock that suddenly appeared to Darrel's field. Dave looked on, surprised as the electric shock of Skullshock dissipated into nothing and his screen switching to"MP2".

"A new card I picked up." Darrel laughed. "When you directly attack me, Battle Fader negates the attack and ends the battle phase."

Dave couldn't help but laugh a bit and ended his turn, a card in hand and Skullshock on field against Darrel's now three cards in hand and battle fader. He figured another Monarch was coming, but he hoped it wasn't one that could hit Skullshock.

Dave: 1 Speed counter.

Darrel: 4 Speed counters.

Darrel looked at his hand; Kuraz the Light Monarch, Speed Spell – Enemy Controller, and Tritus the Aqueous Monarch. It was sufficient enough to deal with Dave, Darrel thought, but Kuraz was a risky maneuver.

He looked at Tritus and Enemy Controller and decided it was his best maneuver. Tributing his Fader for Speed Spell – Enemy Controller, he took control of Skullshock and looked at the helpless Dave. With 2500 attack being far higher than his Monarch's attack, he ordered for the fulgurite creature attack Dave directly.

Dave, unable to do anything, could only watch as Skullshock charged a shock from behind Darrel's Duel Runner. Dave braced for impact before his Runner was hit by a large discharge that caused his Runner to wobble to the left and right before settling down. As the smoke cleared, he still rode his runner, ready to fight back.

Dave LP: 1000

"Now, during my main phase two, I tribute your Skullshock," Darrel said, "I'm going to summon Tritus the Aqueous Monarch!"

A heavily armored, trident carrying knight emerged from a vortex of water that suddenly appeared next to Darrel's Runner. It had a long blue cape that flapped violently as the duelists sped along the track on their Duel Runners.

Tritus the Aqueous Monarch – 2400 ATK/1000 DEF

"When Tritus is tribute summoned, I can send a monster from my deck to my graveyard," Darrel explained, "usually I'd also be able to destroy a spell or trap you got, but you don't have any."

Darrel took Treeborn Frog from his deck and sent it straight to his graveyard. Now confident in a victory, Darrel ended his turn, awaiting Dave's last attempt at a comeback.

Dave: 2 Speed counters.

Darrel: 4 Speed counters.

Dave sighed for a moment as he drew what would be his last card. Giving himself a minute, he looked to it, seeing it was Gaia Plate the Earth Giant. The other card in his hand was the coup de grace – Speed Spell – Fossil Hammer. He removed a speed counter to activate it.

"With this card, I destroy a monster you control and summon a monster from your graveyard with a lower level than the destroyed monster in attack position," Dave said, "and the only monster you have with a lower level is Treeborn Frog."

Darrel have a shocked gasp as Tritus was hit in the torso by a large rock that flew in from the sky. As the debris from the following explosion settled, Treeborn appeared in Tritus's place. It gave a small croak.

"Now, I banish my two Skull Amphibians in my graveyard to summon Gaia Plate the Earth Giant!" Dave placed the final card from his hand onto the field. A massive golem rock creature burst from the ground, sending holographic rocks and debris all over the stadium. Its cry as it stretched its arms could be heard across the stadium.

Gaia Plate the Earth Giant – 2800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Treeborn has 100 attack and you only have 2300 life points," Dave said, "hell, my Giant halves those 100 attack points."

"2750 damage, eh?" Darrel said. "Guess the lot of us is good for the Dyson Championship."

Gaia Plate stomped the ground with its left rocky foot which caused a jagged rock from the ground to shoot up and destroy Treeborn. The ensuing explosion destroyed the rock, sending piles of debris at Darrel's Runner.

Darrel LP: 0 (LOSE)

A loud horn sound went off and Darrel's Runner slowed to a stop as smoke came from the sides. Dave quickly stopped near where Darrel stopped and both gave some attention as the large holographic Gaia Plate vanished.

The two got off their Duel Runners and took off their helmets.

"Good duel, Dave," Darrel said, "we're definitely going to kick ass this year."

"We just need to keep it up." Dave looked to Lily in the garage. "We should also be sure she can still ruin us both like she used to in duels."

Lily walked onto the track to high-five Dave and shake Darrel's hand. The three of them all walked back to the garage, the two boys walking their Runners back into the garage, exhausted from a day full of dueling.

"So, we go back to the apartment complex?" Dave asked. Lily nodded, but Darrel nodded his head back and forth.

"I wouldn't mind catching something to eat," Darrel said, "I figured since it isn't even evening yet we could go catch an early dinner at the town."

Darrel leaned in to Lily and Dave's faces with a big grin. "If you two want to be alone, I'll be glad to sit at another table."

Lily pushed Darrel away, but both she and Dave's faces were bright red after Darrel's comment. Darrel laughed a bit and walked down the hallway to the exit of the stadium. Lily and Dave looked at each other then decided they'd follow Darrel, thinking it wouldn't be bad to get something to eat.

Three of them sat in a local fast food joint. Darrel Lily ate their hamburgers quickly while Dave turned his to the side, the poorly made lettuce and tomato slipping out onto the wrapping paper looking like mush. Dave gave a disgusted look and look up to the two.

"How do you eat this crap?" Dave asked. "It looks like they used canned stuff to make this."

"I'm just really hungry," Lily said, "and I'm not quite as picky as you are about food."

Dave frowned and looked out the window to see a ton of cars drive by the local district. They were generally medium to small sized cars, all of them solar or fusion powered. He smiled for a second then felt Lily put her hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" Lily asked. "You seem a bit out of it."

"I'm just happy to be in this city now, ya know," Dave said, "Felgrand City is a lot quieter and cleaner than the valley."

"…It's a big bustling city," Darrel said. Both Lily and Dave exchanged looks and turned to Darrel.

"Yes," Dave said, "yes it is."

Darrel gave a confused look before eating some of his French fries.

"Anyway, the Championship starts in a week," Darrel said, "from outside areas they're getting the three best representatives for foreign dueling areas."

"I saw the news report on that." Lily sipped her soda. "It made big news because three from the valley were apparently strong enough to get an all-expenses paid trip to this city."

"Damn, really?" Dave asked. "I'm excited to see who they are."

"They aren't revealing who exactly they are for another couple of days for the pre-tournament ceremonies," Lily said, "but their team leader is rumored to have a perfect record with over a hundred duels under his belt in major tournaments."

"Damn," Darrel said, "if that's true we'll need to keep an eye out and see just what his strategy is."

The three continued to chat about the tournament and what they'd do about upcoming opponents. After they finished, Darrel paid for the food and the three set off out into the town. Darrel, waving at Lily and Dave, decided to go to his home on the southern side of the city while Lily and Dave went back to their home on the east side.

The sound of a loud train could be heard near the apartment complex where Lily and Dave stayed. It was nicknamed the "Midnight Train" as it constantly came by at 12:00 AM sharp every night, awaking and annoying the residents of the area. Lily and Dave were walking by as it made its seven-o-clock pass by the complex.

Lily and Dave both walked up the stairs to the relatively clean and nice looking porch of their shared apartment. Dave looked for the key in his pocket until Lily looked at him and took the key from her pocket, giving them both a small laugh.

Lily unlocked and opened the door to their medium sized apartment. They look off their shoes and left them next to the door then walked from the wooden slab at the door onto the soft grey carpet, ready to relax for the evening.

The two sat down on a couch in the living room area and turned on the television to see news reports about unrest and violence in an area called "The Old Valley". The video footage showed a large wasteland with inhabitants generally in old broken homes or huddled around bonfires tear piles of trash and garbage.

"The place has gotten even worse since we left together." Dave looked up at a painting of the Dyson Sphere on the wall. "It bothers me that the valley has such a prominent duelist."

"Why?" Lily asked. She went to the kitchen next to the living room to get a bottle of water from one of the cabinets.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest." Dave watched the sun go down from the window. "Maybe it's the whole psychic duelist thing that's been going on lately. It could be dangerous."

"You're worried it's an angry rebel?" Lily went back and sat down next to Dave.

Dave gave her a very serious glance; one he often never gave. Lily looked at him and thought for a moment before realizing exactly what he was implying. She put her hand on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek before hugging him.

"The last thing we need to do is worry ourselves to the point we don't enjoy the tournament." Lily smiled. "Worrying isn't going to do us any good, especially worrying about him when I think we both know it's unlikely."

Dave felt calmed. "Right, stuff from the valley just makes me feel really on edge."

As the sun set, the two watched some primetime TV. Quiz shows and a news report on the current state of the Dyson Sphere were all that were on at the time, so they watched until they felt tired enough to go to bed.

As 10:00 PM rolled around, the two got up. Dave went to the bedroom door and opened it, then walked with Lily into the small bedroom. There was a queen sized bed that took up most of the room with a couple of night stands on either side of the bed and a closet at the foot of the bed, giving the room a very cramped feeling.

Dave and Lily lay in their usual spots with Dave lying next to the window and lily next to the door, the latter always unable to go to sleep with the outside so visible. She reached her arm around to pat Dave on the shoulder before yawning and closing her eyes.

Dave kept to looking out the window every night. There was something calming about watching cars drift by and the occasional person walking on the street that gave him a sense of inner peace to help him go to sleep. It was nice.

Before he closed his eyes, he looked at a picture of a woman, a man, a young child, and a baby held in the woman's arms. He would always miss them, but he was happy again after all those years. If nothing else, he thought to himself, he would have Lily by his side as he always has.

He finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, at ease for the day.

-Felgrand City Entrance-

A blond haired man with a scar running along his left cheek walked with two other men past the western entrance gates to the massive city. One was wearing entirely black Duel Runner gear, the other was a casually dressed younger man with a duel disk on his arm. Both walked to the side of the blond haired man, who wore a red jacket and jeans.

"So, Riker, are we going to go to a hotel while we wait for the ceremonies to start in a couple of days?" The man in black gear asked. Riker, the man in the red jacket, turned to the man in black gear and nodded.

"Remember, Clovis." Riker looked to the man in black gear. "You and Kenneth are going to need to train a bit more. The competition will get fierce."

"What're you gonna do while we train?" Clovis asked.

"A few things," Riker said, "I've got some unfinished business with a young man in this town and a job to do for my boss."

Riker's left eye started to glow red. He took the orange deck box from his belt and opened it up, noticing the "Darius" nametag on the inside. He quickly tore it off and threw it to the side of the road, then picked out a single card from his deck – Volcanic Doomfire.

"I think I'll start with what my boss wants me to do," Riker said, "you two run along and find a place. I'll call you when I need a place to stay and you can tell me where you're staying."

The two nodded and ran past Riker to find a hotel to sleep in for the night. Riker, however, patiently walked forward to the front of a building where another man was standing. He wore a hoodie and had his hands in his pocket.

"AX8, you can report to Ra that I'm here," Riker said, "my alias is Riker, so don't call me Darius."

AX8, the man in the hoodie, silently nodded before walking away into the night. Riker turned his head to the shops as he continued walking, but the one that caught his eye was one dedicated to old-time devices and objects. In the window lay a large axe with a wooden handle and metal blade, hed up by a display stand.

Riker turned his attention back to the road, smirking. Off far in the distance, as midnight hit, he could hear the faint sound of the Midnight Train as it rolled through the east side.


	2. Fable of the Old Valley

-2112-

The cold of the Old Valley air made the middle aged man shiver. He sat on a chair in the middle of a large field of dead grass surrounded by a pile of garbage that shook with every small gust of wind.

He carried an annoyed expression that was especially apparent in his green eyes. In front of him sat a smug man in his late twenties with short blond hair and a sort of gleam in his left eye that just made the black haired man even more frustrated.

"You come to my property and tell me I have no right to it?" The man asked.

"Mr. Orwell, please understand," the blonde said, "but I need territory to fight my enemies. Your territory is an ideal hiding spot for me and my allies for a surprise attack."

"Darius," Mr. Orwell said. "I don't care about your territory wars. I have a family and a life to hold on to and I'm not going to travel the wasteland finding some new place because a jackass wants to use my house for a hiding place."

Darius lifted his feet then stomped them on the ground. Putting his hands on the arms of the old recliner, he lifted himself up and approached Mr. Orwell with a furious look on his face. Mr. Orwell, fed up, also stood and approached Darius until the two were less than a foot's distance from each other.

"Mr. Orwell, I will have this territory of yours." Darius grabbed Orwell's neck. "If you don't let me have it willingly, I will force you to watch me kill your wife and children. Then I will burn you alive."

Mr. Orwell began to look afraid as he struggled to breathe. Darius looked Orwell directly in the eyes and growled.

"Understand?"

Mr. Orwell kicked Darius in the shin and stepped back. He grabbed the lawn chair he was sitting in and tried to slam Darius with it, but Darius grabbed it as Orwell tried to bash him with it.

"It seems you don't." Darius ripped the chair from Orwell's hands and threw it to the side. "It's honorable for a man to protect his family from danger, so you should leave these grounds. I'll give you five minutes as a courtesy, but after that…"

Mr. Orwell ran past Darius and stumbled climbing up the pile of garbage.

Darius, smirking, walked slowly over to the garbage pile where he saw an old, metal axe. He picked it up with one hand and looked in the direction where Mr. Orwell ran, giving a large grin.

"Perfect."

-Present Day-

Dave gave a scream and stumbled right out of the bed onto the floor with a loud thud. He rubbed his head as stood up, already unable to exactly remember what woke him. The nightmare again, he figured.

He stumbled around the small bedroom to the doorway and entered the living room. Lily was making eggs while more news about escalating violence in the southern United States aired. He sat on the couch and turned the TV up.

"In today's news, a south central United States rebel group released a statement that there would be "dire consequences" for the eastern coast civilians if demands regarding shipments of oil are not met."

"Why does that stuff interest you, anyway?" Lily looked from the counter to Dave sitting on the couch with a confused look. Dave turned to her and smiled.

"It's our home." He turned the television down. "I like to hear what goes on, ya know."

Lily went back to finishing the two over easy eggs. "You know this crappy, small apartment we live in? It's our home, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Lily served the two eggs onto white plates and carried them both to the table in front of the couch. She went back to the kitchen to pour milk while Dave watched her.

"Besides, I thought you said stuff from the valley makes you feel on edge?" Lily brought back the milk with a couple of forks for the eggs and sat down next to Dave. Dave sighed and flipped the channel to an early morning talk show.

"I've been thinking," Dave said, "I was afraid of it. The one you were interested in?"

"Oh, you mean the Monster of the Old Valley?" Lily looked puzzled. "That was a story kids were told so they'd stay indoors during nighttime."

"I've always thought it was-"

Dave stopped himself. "Forget it," he said, "you're probably right, I'm just paranoid about this guy. The valley still interests me for all the good memories I had there."

Lily smiled. "Well, I guess I can understand." She quickly downed the glass of milk. "I never really got to understand what a mom or a dad was really like, you did."

Dave stopped eating his egg for a second to look at Lily.

"My family loved you and I love you," Dave said, "we had plenty of good memories from that place together and what happened in the end will never change it."

Lily stared at Dave for a moment. "I can't look back on what happened and think much good came of it," she said, "our lives only got better when we came here. Looking back just makes me feel chills."

After Lily finished her egg, she stood up and took the plate to the sink in the kitchen. Dave tapped the table with his finger a moment before stand up and adjusting his T-shirt.

"Sometimes I'm just a bit stuck in the past," Dave said, "can't really help it."

"It's alright, but I've seen you up at night before," Lily said, "when you're stressed you're online or at the TV obsessing over the Old Valley. It worries me."

Dave gave a concerned look at Lily while she washed her plate.

"You see me doing things at night?" Dave asked. The sound of rushing water from the faucet stopped.

Lily dried the plate and placed it on a nearby white shelf. Turning back to Dave, she placed her hands on the white counter and looked into his eyes from across the room.

"Sometimes I don't sleep." Lily lifted her hands and started to walk back into the living room. "So yeah, I catch you doing things."

"I'm just keeping up to date, it's… really nothing to be worried about," Dave said, "I swear."

"…I just want you to know I'm here for you." Lily walked over to Dave and put her hand on his shoulder. "It scares me when you do this. You haven't done it in years and you only started doing it again when the tournament was announced."

Dave shook his head and walked to the door. Visibly shaking, he turned the key and opened the door to step outside. Lily, left hanging, gave an annoyed look and went to clean up after Dave's mess of dishes.

-Dueling Track-

After walking the usual path, Dave stepped into one of the garages at the large stadium. Darrel, waiting for him, looked around the garage.

"Where's Lily?" Darrel asked. "Today's her day to duel."

"She and I had an argument, you could say," Dave said, "I sort of just left the apartment and came here."

"You two arguing?" Darrel laughed. "Don't really think I can imagine that."

"She's just overly concerned about me." Dave took his deck box from his pocket and looked over at the one duelist on the other end of the garage. The duelist was in entirely black Duel Runner gear and sported a purple tag with the words "Clovis" on it in black lettering.

Dave walked to Clovis and held hand up to offer a handshake. Clovis, who practically towered over Dave in height, looked down at Dave and gave a smirk.

"I heard a couple of people in the arena talking about your duel yesterday," Clovis said, "I'm here to train for the Dyson Championship."

Clovis shook Dave's hand.

"I haven't seen you around here," Dave said, "are you one of the contestants from Germany or something?"

"I'm from the Old Valley, actually," Clovis said, "I'm considered second best on my team."

Second Best. The words rang even harder in Dave's head than the mention of the Old Valley.

"Who leads your team?" Dave asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Given his perfect record, I'm not going to give you a name." Clovis frowned. "He doesn't want anyone looking for him before the ceremonies start. It'd increase the risk of people finding out his strategy."

Dave began to process what he knew about this perfect record duelist, but was interrupted buy Lily grabbing him on the shoulder and pulling him to her.

"Lily, the he-"

"What was that, exactly?!" Lily asked. "You don't just walk out when we're talking about serious things like that. It worries me even more!"

"We'll talk about it when we get home, just not in public, alright?" Dave tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her cheek, but she jerked her head away.

"Look, I want you to sit down and think about this while I duel," Lily said, "this guy is mine."

Clovis stepped up to the two of them and put his indigo helmet on.

"If the girl wants to duel me, so be it," Clovis said, "but she will lose."

"I can't turbo duel you, so I was hoping for a ground duel." Lily looked over at Darrel and Dave's bikes, wishing she had brought her bike in from the repair shop.

Clovis took his helmet off and walked over to his sleek blue and indigo duel runner to grab the duel disk off of the interface. He placed his helmet down and turned his green eyes to Lily.

"An even easier win, then." Clovis watched Lily take her duel disk from a nearby shelf.

Despite her frustrations, Lily gave a little smirk as she set her life points to 4000. Clovis, with a darker smile, set his counter to 4000. Both duelists drew their opening hands.

-Lily LP: 4000

-Clovis LP: 4000

"I prefer to not let my opponent gain an early advantage, so I'll go first." Clovis drew his sixth card. Scanning his hand for a moment, he grinned and placed a monster on the field.

"I'll begin with Steelswarm Caller." Clovis said. A humanoid bug creature starting to form from a thick black star-like substance until its translucent wings to started to flap. It flew out of the substance and grappled on top of the garage, looking down at Lily.

Steelswarm Caller: 1700 ATK/0 DEF

"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." Clovis looked around the silent garage, admiring his Caller giving color to the otherwise relatively gray and light garage.

Lily smiled. "Is that supposed to scare me?" She drew and without hesitation placed her first monster on the field.

"I summon Fabled Gallabas." Lily said. From a vortex of light that formed on the nearby wall, a large armored green skinned demon jumped out of the wall. A large mace made a crashing sound behind him, followed by the rustling of the chains as the demon began to pull the mace forward.

Fabled Gallabas: 1500 ATK/800 DEF

"With its effect, I can discard a card to destroy one monster you control with defense less than my Gallabas' attack." Lily discarded a Fabled Lurrie to use Gallabas' effect.

Gallabas swung his mace upwards, crushing Caller into a black tar-like substance that started to drip from the ceiling. Beside Gallabas formed another demon, this one small as a baby but with a large grin and two black wings.

"My Fabled Lurrie is summoned when it's discarded off to the graveyard." Lily gave a look of confidence.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 ATK/400 DEF

"I'm going to tune my level one Lurrie and level four Gallabas to synchro summon." Lily raised her hand while Lurrie turned into a star that entered a slowly dissolving Gallabas' body. The two merged into a greater demon with two large wings, pale skin, and long lanky arms.

Its face shapeshifted constantly and it carried an old tome in its right hand. Looking to Clovis, its head turned to that of a wolf's and started to growl.

"I summon Fabled Danta!" Lily said.

Fabled Danta – 2400 ATK/1200 DEF

"Now, I'll attack you directly!" Lily commanded the demon to strike Clovis. It opened the book it held and a pile of spiders crawled from the pages onto the floor, swarming to Clovis.

Clovis, still calm, placed a monster from his hand to the monster zone on his duel disk. A hornet like creature with large, humanoid arms and legs appeared from the black substance where Caller was destroyed. It flapped its two yellow wings to blow the swarm of spiders away.

The creature landed on the floor and shielded Clovis.

"This is my Steelswarm Jacket," Clovis said, "If I have a Steelswarm in my graveyard and I'm attacked directly, I can special summon it from my hand and end the battle phase."

Steelswarm Jacket: 1900 ATK/0 DEF

Lily, frowning, set a card and passed to Clovis. She was still confident, but she was aware of Clovis' potential to ruin her field.

Clovis smirked and looked into Lily's eyes after he drew his card.

"I win."

A purple outline of the Steelswarm crest formed on Clovis' right hand. With a blink, his human eyes had the pattern of compound eyes on them.

"…You're a psychic duelist?" Lily asked, looking surprised. Dave stood up from his chair, but Darrel grabbed his arm.

"I'm an extremely powerful one, dear." Clovis looked over to Dave and Darrel and shook his head. "You two can calm down, I won't hurt her."

Dave jerked his arm away from Darrel's gripped and stood cautiously as Clovis played his next card. The thoughts of whoever was better than Clovis began to rush into his mind again.

"I pay 500 life points to activate my Infestation Ripples." Clovis flipped the trap card. "I can special summon a Steelswarm monster from my graveyard."

Clovis LP: 3500

Clovis snapped his fingers. From the black substance, Caller emerged unscathed and hopped next to Jacket. The two started to turn into black substance when Clovis placed a new monster on the field by sending Jacket and Caller to the graveyard.

A heavily armored creature emerged from the pile of black waste. It scanned the area with its two metal antennae until two blue lights lit up inside the creature's helmet. The elytra of the beetle rose several times before settling back.

"This is Steelswarm Longhorn."

Steelswarm Longhorn: 3000 ATK/0 DEF

"With Caller's effect, when it's tributed, I can summon a level four or lower Steelswarm monster from my deck." Clovis grabbed a Steelswarm Antlion from his deck and placed it on the field.

A hairy but armored humanoid insect on its fours crawled out the black ooze that was near Longhorn. It snapped its two steel pinchers together and gave a low growl at Lily.

Steelswarm Antlion: 1500 ATK/0 DEF

"Now, with my Longhorn's effect, I can pay 1000 life points to destroy a monster you control." Clovis looked at the nervous Dave and Darrel before snapping his fingers.

Clovis LP: 2500

Longhorn walked to Danta, whom he dwarfed greatly in size. Longhorn gave a horrific screech and almost instantly crushed Danta's head into dust by grabbing it, leaving the rest of Danta's body to fall to the floor and dematerialize.

Lily looked in a horrified awe as the creature stared at her through its black visor.

"You can be calm, gentlemen," Clovis said, "Death is not harm. It is quick and painless under my control."

Dave tried to rush onto the battlefield, but he stopped when he felt the black substance sticking to his shoe. He stepped back and tried to wipe it off on the floor, but it turned into a variety of bugs before his shoe hit the ground. They scurried off.

"Don't kill her!" Dave began to look hurriedly back and forth at Clovis and Lily. Darrel, a yard away, was trying to think of a way to stop the duel.

Antlion began to snap its pinchers quickly and Longhorn clenched its fists.

"Is it the fear she'll die a gruesome death?" Clovis asked. "If you were at her deathbed, you wouldn't beg her cells and immune system or her brain for mercy, boy. A dead body is a dead body, no matter how torn or ruined."

"…What are you?" Lily cut in and looked at Clovis.

"A force for suffering sent to make this boy feel the worst pain." Clovis looked at the sun glare on the nearby window. "I've been trained by one of the best duelists in existence, so I get whatever job I'm assigned done. No bargaining, no chances of survival. You are just food for my insects and I am the bringer of pain."

Dave screamed as Longhorn rushed to strike Lily's head, but she flipped a trap card before Longhorn could complete its attack.

"I activate The Darkest Light!" Lily Yelled. "This will negate your attack and let me special summon a light attribute fiend type monster from my hand!"

A vortex of light appeared, stunning Longhorn. Out of the portal came a grim reaper-like creature with wings that began to expand. It stared down Antlion and cackled a bit before settling down.

"This is my Fabled Urustos," Lily said, "and my Fabled monsters gain 400 ATK if I have two or less cards in my hand like I do now."

Fabled Urustos: 1500 ATK 1900 ATK/200 DEF

Clovis gave a robotic sounding laugh as his voice started to sound corrupted.

"This is still going to end in you being cleaned off the pavement." Clovis gave a grin at a panicked Dave. Clovis ended his turn – two cards in hand, a face down, and his two monsters.

Lily's single monster and three cards as she drew were far more modest, but her draw helped boost some of her confidence in winning. She immediately played it.

"I activate Fabled Cross!" Lily placed the normal spell. "I can discard a card to special summon a Fabled monster from my graveyard."

A revived and revitalized Danta came to the field once more, this time carrying a more fearful look.

"With Urustos, Danta's ATK is raised from 2400 to 2800." Lily looked at her discarded card. "Additionally, when Fabled Krus is discarded, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Fabled monster from my graveyard. I'm selecting my Fabled Lurrie."

The winged creature return to the field and perched itself on Urustos's bony shoulder.

"Now, I'm tuning Urustos and Lurrie for another synchro monster of mine." Lily said.

The death-like creature combined with Lurrie to form a golden armored and black winged demon that formed from the particles of Lurrie and Urustos. It clenched its fists and gave a confident smirk as it smashed its feet on the ground.

"This is my Fabled Ragin."

Fabled Ragin: 2300 ATK/1800 DEF

"When he's Synchro Summoned while I have less than two cards in hand, I draw until I have two. " Lily drew a card and looked over to Danta. "With Danta, whenever a Fabled monster is Synchro Summoned, I can draw a card."

Despite her two synchros, she didn't have anywhere near the power to overrun Longhorn. Her Danta had returned to his original attack with Urustos gone and she had to start thinking carefully about the cards she had just drawn.

"I can't say I'm unimpressed," Clovis said, "you aren't weak. But I'm glad; I don't like my prey easy."

"I'm not your prey." Lily looked at Clovis and then back at her hand, shaking.

"I summon Fabled Kushano!" Lily placed a new monster on the field.

A plague doctor looking winged demon holding a large tome formed next to Ragin.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 ATK/800 DEF

"Now, I'm going to tune my Ragin and my tuner Kushano!" Lily stared at Clovis directly in his compound eyes as she performed this summon. Ragin stretched his wings flew into Kushano, shattering both into a mess of particles that formed a new monster.

A mess of a creature formed and stood before Longhorn and Antlion. It had the torso of a human and the legs and head of a mule with peacock feathers behind. It outstretched its arms and pointed to both Antlion and Longhorn.

"This is the almighty Fabled Ba'al!" Lily yelled. The creature finally let out a hellish scream, causing Longhorn and Antlion to scurry backwards.

Fabled Ba'al: 2900 ATK/2500 DEF

Lily drew a card for her Fabled Danta's effect and gave a confident smile with no fear to Clovis.

"With Fabled Ba'al's effect, I can discard a Fabled monster from my hand to destroy a card you control." Lily discarded Fabled Ashenveil and pointed directly to Longhorn.

Clovis let out a laugh with his corrupted voice. "I chain my Infestation Wave!"

Longhorn turned into a purple light that formed into a card, returning to Clovis' hand. Out of the black substance came a tentacle that impaled the fearsome Ba'al, destroying it.

"It returns a tributed Steelswarm monster from my field to my hand to destroy a card you control." Clovis looked at Lily. "Now what?"

"Well, I guess I win then." Lily looked at the shining light in her graveyard come from the demon's effect.

"When Ba'al is destroyed, I can discard a Fabled monster to summon one of synchro material monsters used to summon Ba'al."

As soon as Lily revealed Fabled Cerburrel in her hand, Clovis hit the "Zero" button on his duel disk.

"This would be pointless to continue, I suppose." Clovis looked onward at Lily, clenching his fists. As soon as the black substance and holograms vanished, Dave made a rush at Clovis. Clovis laughed a turned into a swarm of hornets that escaped the garage through a crack in the window.

The three of them looked at each other for a few moments before Dave and Lily ran to hug each other while Darrel watched the swarm of hornets far off in the distance flying away.

"I'm sorry about this morning, Lily, I'll be honest with y-"

"It's fine…" Lily patted Dave on the back before letting go. "Just don't hide anything anymore. We have to be honest to each other, especially now."

Darrel looked at them and smiled before frowning again. "Why do you think he surrendered, exactly?" Darrel looked out the window again.

"Maybe he thought I won?" Lily raised her hands up. "Anyway, we should really talk to the police about this. A psychic duelist like him in town is very, very bad, especially if he's going to be in the Dyson Championship."

Darrel himself went off to get an officer from nearby while Lily and Dave stayed in the garage together.

"Ha, these demons of mine have given me quite a bit of confidence." Lily looked at Dave.

"You said you couldn't sleep sometimes," Dave said, "Why?"

"I think about things like you do," Lily said, "But not as obsessively. I just… sulk, I guess. I can't stand thinking of the damn place but it just never leaves my mind no matter how hard I try to forget."

"Like a haunting story, I guess?" Dave looked at Lily. "You think those Fabled cards are just a foul reminder of it all?"

Lily looked at the cards on her duel disk. "I suppose they might be."

-Felgrand City Outskirts-

The swarm of hornets rematerialized into Clovis out in a near-empty field only occupied by one other person. Riker, standing by a campfire, looked at Clovis and turned his head.

"You scouted the boy, correct?" Riker asked.

"I tested his emotions." Clovis panted. "His girlfriend cut in so I dueled her, but I stopped as soon as she had a serious advantage on me. Duel could've gone on much longer, but I chose to end it so nobody would get hurt this time around."

"How did he respond?" Riker asked, staring deep into the fire.

"I could tell he loves her deeply," Clovis said, "she and that other boy are probably two of the only things he has left after what happened in the valley."

"Just some unfinished business from my days in the Old Valley, I suppose." Riker stood and looked off in the distance, seeing bustling town's lights even in broad daylight.

"The opening ceremony is tomorrow and I'm probably going to be a suspect for what I did back there." Clovis looked at Riker, who shrugged.

"Kenneth and I will provide an alibi," Riker said, "I presume you left no evidence so no proof will exist and you'll be accounted for."

Clovis smiled. "Good."

"The Path of Water doesn't want us slouching, neither does Ra." Riker looked up at the sun. "DeCarte Freeman doesn't mean much to me, but I suppose I should pit on the allusion of caring about the mission Ra set me out to do."

Riker began walking with Clovis back towards the town, faint sounds of a train in the distance.

"When midnight comes on the perfect day, I will see to it the last of that wretched family dies a painful death." Riker muttered to himself.

-Lily and Dave's Apartment, hours later-

The two sat on their couch, enjoying popcorn as they watched their old-timey movie from the early 2000s. Dave, simply grateful for Lily to be alive, held her close.

"We have a lot to solve, but we'll get through it," Lily said, looking up at Dave. "Just remember that we can solve it together so you'll get better sleep. Maybe I can do the same."

Dave nodded, watching the sun set outside. The opening ceremonies were tomorrow, and he'd surely want to get a good night's sleep for them. He briefly thought about Clovis and wondered if the police would ever catch him, but let his thoughts go so he could immerse himself back in the movie.

-Freeman's Office-

An old man, looking outside, watched the fruits of his labor function. The bright flashing lights of the Dyson Sphere on the individuals petals were beautiful to him and represented a great achievement, but still served as a reminder for something much darker.

He wore a red suit and had a green tie. Despite looking to be nearing his 100s, he was quite mobile and had a clear mind. He walked over to his desk chair and in it, looking at the name "DeCarte Freeman" plated on top of his desk in gold letters. As the sun went down, DeCarte gave a slight chuckle.

"He must be furious right now," DeCarte said to himself, "I bet he'll be gunning right for me tomorrow."

DeCarte looked to a picture of a younger version of him and a man in a black suit and tie shaking hands at a convention meeting for "Resolution of the Energy Crisis".

The other man looked to be from Africa and had the name tag "Amun" on the front of his suit. DeCarte shook his head and set the photo on his desk down, not wanting to look at the man any longer.

"How far he fell…"


	3. Setting Sun

-2058-

The noise and talking of the anxious people in the auditorium could be heard from the private office of a middle aged DeCarte.

He sat in his desk chair across from a thin middle aged man with dark skin. The man had the name tag "Amun" on the chest area of his dark green suit.

"You know we can't do this," Amun said, "The Dyson Sphere would end our economies and push us into chaos once more."

"What options do we have left, Amun?" DeCarte asked. "Our entire world is at stake. The Arctic Wars have put us here."

"You're going to make me watch the Congo burn again?" Amun gave a dark stare at DeCarte. "I can't let that happen."

"You'll have no choice, Amun," DeCarte said, "it's up to the countries that are willing to sign to a Dyson Sphere program in the UN. We have enough."

Amun tapped his finger on the desk for a few seconds, looking from the light above them to the floor below. He put his handles on the handles of the chair and pushed himself up.

DeCarte watched as Amun quietly stepped to the office door.

"You know how this will end, DeCarte." Amun turned to look back at him. "We both know."

-Present Day-

-2:00 PM-

Dave, Darrel, and Lily all were jogging to the Duel Arena. The sunny days like today never really felt that hot and according to some older people Darrel knew the temperatures hadn't been particularly hot Felgrand City ever since the Dyson Sphere and a fusion core in the city had been operational.

As they approached the Duel Arena, the outside was crawling with reporters of all sorts interviewing various duelists. Most didn't respond and rushed directly into their now designated garages at the stadium. There were eleven for the eleven teams – ten teams of three and one team of two for a total of thirty two contestants.

The group of three rushed quickly past the reporters and into their garage – Garage Eight. It had the flag of Felgrand City on it, signifying they were the cities representatives. Dave felt and bit of pressure due to this, but shook it off.

"The ceremony is in six hours," Darrel said, "that Freeman guy is hosting."

"You'd think someone that old would have something better to do than host a card game tournament." Dave laughed.

"Gotta have a hobby at that age, I guess." Lily smiled when she looked at the Duel Runners against the wall.

The three waited around in the garage. They were told to come early and stay in their respective garage via a phone call early in the morning.

"Why the hell do we need to stand around here, again?" Darrel asked.

"I dunno, I'm just bothered by the crowds outside." Lily pointed at the closed garage door that led out onto the track. They could all hear the loud cheers at the duelists merely practicing on the track for the day.

After Lily lowered her finger from the large garage door, it began to open.

A well-dressed young man in his early twenties emerged from the light of the outside. His eyes were gleaming and he carried a large grin on his face.

"You're the Felgrand City representatives, correct?" The young man spoke with a northern Welsh accent.

Darrel approached the young man and offered a handshake. The young man gave a firm shake then slipped past Darrel.

"I'm Geoffrey," Geoffrey said, "I'm one of the three people from the Western Europe team."

"Err, nice to meet you." Dave shook Geoffrey's hand. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Your sponsor and my sponsor are actually quite good friends, actually." Geoffrey pulled out a picture of an older man carrying a suitcase. "Since I'm the team leader, I thought I'd greet you and wish you good luck."

"That's quite nice of you." Lily smiled.

"Well, just remember I'll win." Geoffrey smiled back. He walked back outside as he waved at the three of them.

Lily looked back at Dave.

"That's a pretty big coincidence," Lily said, "I didn't figure we'd get friendly competition like that."

"Hey, any bit of added fun helps." Darrel looked outside before closing the garage doors before anyone else came in.

"Speaking of sponsors, did you ever look up who Clovis' sponsor is?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, actually," Darrel said, "a guy named Danube Mariano."

"Find anything on him?" Dave asked.

"Nothing suspicious," Darrel said, "just an aristocratic type living in the less war torn parts of the South."

Lily took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

"Did you just imply an aristocratic type isn't suspicious?" Lily asked. "I get the encouragement behind supporting a team with a perfect record, but you'd think he would've bailed when he saw how crazy Clovis is."

"Well, I lived with aristocratic types my entire life and most of them never supported duelists like Clovis," Darrel said, "I guess I can get your distrust of the higher up people in society a bit, but…"

Lily shot Darrel a look. "No, you can't, and you never will." She stormed over to a chair and sat with her deck in hand.

Dave's eyes shifted from a surprised Darrel to an angered Lily before slowly walking to look at his Runner. He could feel the tension, but tried to ignore it. Darrel, despite his surprise, mumbled and carried on looking through his deck.

The three waited around for a while tending to their pre-tournament projects before Darrel opened his mouth and looked at Lily.

"I just never distrusted people for their fortunes." Darrel saw Lily give a bit of a cringe. Dave, programming functions on his Runner, prepared for an outburst.

"You're the only person from a wealthy family I've ever known, and only because of Dave." Lily looked over to Darrel. "Those aristocratic types? Those kinds are the ones that killed everybody I loved when I was a child. Men in suits drinking wine and eating caviar sending armed men to houses to execute fathers who didn't pay their debts."

Darrel stared at Lily with an even more surprised look on her face.

"…You get the idea." Lily moved her neck around a bit and started to clean her glasses with the bottom of her shirt.

Dave decided to interrupt.

"I'd think your parents taught you to stay away from the poorer people wandering around Felgrand, right?" Dave was looking at Darrel.

"…Yeah." Darrel stood. "We're… taught to hate each other in some manner or another, I suppose."

"Darrel, I'm glad I've met you," Lily said, "but I can't find myself to generally trust the rich or aristocrats. They scare me."

Darrel smiled a bit and went back to looking at his deck.

"We shouldn't get into arguments like this before the tournament," Dave said, "we're here to have fun. Keep wary of some things, sure, but we should have fun first."

Lily and Darrel silently nodded.

"I feel like we never got into these sorts of arguments before this tournament started or we were aware of Clovis and his teammates," Dave said, "we need to remember nothing between us has changed and that we're still who we've always been."

Lily and Darrel went from silently nodding to giving large grins.

"One of us is going to win this," Darrel said.

- 7:50 PM-

The sun was starting to set and the crowds had long since stopped cheering. Duelists were no longer training on the track, and a podium had been set up at the top of the duel platform. The seven large screens at the top of the stadium going around the top rim were turned on and all focused to the stand.

Darrel, Dave, and Lily along with every other team had been informed by one of the event Judges to move to large area under the duel platform. It was a dining room with tables and candles everywhere that overlooked the entire stadium with thick glass.

Dave tried to get a good look around the room, but couldn't locate Clovis or anybody he might recognize besides Geoffrey. As soon as he heard the dinging sound of the elevator, several spotlights outside moved to focus on an old man walking down the track to the elevator.

An announcer on the platform above began to speak.

"Ah, it would seem the host of our event has arrived!" the announcer yelled. Everybody in the room looked down to see DeCarte waving back up at them.

"I wonder if we'll get a ceremonial duel." Geoffrey watched over the track and gazed at the sky in the distance. He could see the nighttime sky intersecting with the sun setting all with the Dyson Sphere in view.

Dave, Lily, and Dave all stared together while holding each other's hands.

"I never thought we'd be in a place like this." Dave looked to Lily and smiled. "We should remember to go up here some random night, eh?"

Lily giggled a bit while she looked in awe at the rising moon.

Soon after, the dinging sound of the elevator could be heard from the floor above. Everybody drew their attention to the massive screens.

DeCarte stepped in front of the metal podium. He cleared his throat and looked over the stadium.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen." His commanding voice echoed through the stadium. "Welcome to the first annual Dyson Championship."

The crowd roared and cheered.

"I am DeCarte Freeman." DeCarte placed his hands on the podium and looked upwards. "I will be hosting this year's event."

DeCarte looked around the stadium and gave a large grin.

"The purpose of the tournament is to bring the best duelists from different regions of the world and bring them in teams of three," DeCarte said, "but mind that they will all be dueling separately. The finals could easily between two teammates, so this is still a competition between everybody. It puts pressure on the teams and rewards them for standing strong together."

The crowd continued to cheer.

"There are thirty two duelists." DeCarte pointed below him. "There will be five rounds in total. We start at thirty two and cut half each round through single elimination through a mixture of grounded and riding duels until there is only one duelist, and he or she will be declared the winner of the Dyson Championship. They will get a coveted and rare card we will not reveal until the semi-finals begin."

DeCarte continued.

"In the event that a duelist cannot participate, his or her designated opponent will be declared the winner. This applies even in the final round of the tournament. But, I shouldn't expect it to come up at any time."

He cleared his throat once more.

"The tournament will officially begin in five days, but we are formally introducing our contestants tonight." DeCarte once again pointed down, smiling. "Two randomly selected duelists from those thirty two will engage in a ceremonial duel to celebrate the start of the tournament before we introduce all of the teams."

The duelists in the below room began to talk. Dave became anxious and hoped he wouldn't get picked; he wasn't quite ready to risk getting beaten in front of the thousands in the stadium and the millions probably watching on television.

Back on the platform, an assistant handed DeCarte a pot full of paper strips.

"In this pot you see, I have the names of every duelist participating," DeCarte said, "I will pull two names at random and those two duelists must come up from the room below and duel one another."

DeCarte looked at the Dyson Sphere in the dimming sky and pulled two names. He looked at them.

"Geoffrey Willheart of Western Europe and Adrian Balashov of Russia!" DeCarte yelled.

In the observation room, Geoffrey grinned and rushed over to the elevator, duel disk strapped to his arm. Adrian, less enthusiastic, accompanied him.

Adrian was a brown haired young man wearing a plaid shirt. He looked a bit anxious, a feeling which Dave and Lily could understand at this point.

As the two exited the elevator on the dueling platform above, DeCarte wished them luck and walked over by the elevator as Geoffrey and Adrian took their position on opposite ends of the dueling platform. When DeCarte asked the two to pick a side of a coin, Geoffrey yelled "Heads!" and Adrian agreed to tails.

DeCarte threw an old quarter from his pocket over to the center of the field. It rolled around a bit before settling down and falling flat. A judge in front of the dueling area of the platform yelled "Heads!".

With his microphone in hand, DeCarte pointed to Geoffrey and yelled "Begin!"

Geoffrey and Adrian set their life points and opened with five cards each. Geoffrey, taking a more serious look, drew his sixth card.

"I begin with Noble Knight Artorigus." Geoffrey calmly placed a normal monster onto his duel disk. A red haired and silver armored man carrying a large sword appeared in the middle of the dueling field to roaring and applause from the crowd.

Noble Knight Artorigus: 1800 ATK/1800 DEF

"Next, I equip him with Noble Arms – Caliburn." Geoffrey placed the equip spell in the spell and trap slot, causing an image of it to appear on the field. Artorigus dropped his current sword and grabbed the leaner but still large sword. It had two energy lines running from the left and right and the risen moon above cast a glow on it.

"With this, my Artorigus gain 500 attack points and once per turn I gain 500 life points." Geoffrey smiled. "Let's go!"

Noble Knight Artorgus: 1800 ATK 2300 ATK

Geoffrey LP: 4500

"I'll set two cards and end my turn." Geoffrey stared over to the more confident looking Adrian.

"Knights and swords, hm?" Adrian looked at Geoffrey. "Not quite what I expected from a regional champion."

Adrian drew his card and placed his own normal monster.

"I begin with Inpachi!" Adrian yelled. A large wood creature that looked to be made of many logs appeared onto the field. A black "18" was carved onto its chest. After standing, it gave a load moan that echoed through the entire stadium.

Inpachi: 1600 ATK/1900 DEF

"Now, so I can run over your knight…" Adrian placed a card into his spell and trap zone. "…I equip my Inpachi with Axe of Despair!"

Inpachi: 1600 ATK 2600 ATK

"This gives me an additional 1000 ATK to work with, which is more than enough to cut your pitiful Artorigus." As Adrian raised his hand to command an attack, Geoffrey flipped a trap up.

"I'm activating my Threatening Roar!" Geoffrey looked at Inpachi. A shockwave of sound came from Threatening Roar, forcing the wooden creature too its knees.

"You can't attack this turn, sorry to say." Geoffrey smiled. Adrian gave a mildly annoyed expression and set a card before passing it to Geoffrey.

Geoffrey gave a smirk. "This might be it for you."

"First, I'll gain 500 from my Caliburn," Geoffrey said.

Geoffrey LP: 5000

Geoffrey placed another monster onto the field. "Then, I summon Noble Knight Drystan."

A young well armored and brown haired knight playing a harp appeared to the field sitting down. As Geoffrey moved to play another card, Drystan placed the harp down and stood.

Noble Knight Drystan: 1800 ATK/800 DEF

"While he may be treated as a normal monster usually, if I equip him with something his abilities are unlocked." Geoffrey looked at an equip card in his hand. "My knights are made powerful by their courage."

Adrian gritted his teeth, but knew he had an advantage – his face down Mirror Force.

"I equip Noble Arms – Arfeudutyr to my Drystan." Geoffrey placed the card into the duel disk. "With this, my Drystan permanently loses 500 ATK but in exchange I get to destroy a set card you control."

Noble Knight Drystan: 1800 ATK 1300 ATK

Drystan grabbed the dark handle of the sword and unleashed a bolt of lightning that shocked him but unleashed a vicious bolt upon Adrian's set card. He growled as Mirror Force was destroyed.

"When Dystan is equipped with a Noble Arms, I get to destroy a card on the field." Geoffrey pointed to his own Caliburn. "You see, when Caliburn is destroyed, it instead re-equips itself to something."

Caliburn shattered after being surrounded by a black aura only to immediately reappear in Artorigus' hands. Geoffrey gave a small chuckle.

"With this, I'll use Caliburn's effect once more." Geoffrey looked at his life point counter.

Geoffrey LP: 5500

"The fun doesn't stop there." Geoffrey snapped his fingers. "I'm going to do a xyz summon with my two Noble Knights."

Adrian looked up as Artorigus and Drystan dropped their swords and turned into energy that entered a vortex above the dueling platform. The crowd was chanting Geoffrey's name as a black armored knight crashed down onto the field, blue energy becoming visible in parts of the knight's armor.

"This is my Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!" Geoffrey yelled.

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights: 2000 ATK/2000 DEF

"When he's Xyz Summoned, I can target up to three of my Noble Arms cards in my graveyard with different names and equip them to my king!" Geoffrey watched Artorigus pick up the swords his knight self and Drystan had dropped.

"Once again, I use my Caliburn!" Geoffrey raised his fist into the air.

Geoffrey LP: 6000

"Now, I activate Noble Arms – Gallatin." Geoffrey played the final card in his hand. "With this equipped to my King, it gains 1000 attack points plus the 500 from Caliburn!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights – 2000 ATK 3500 ATK

"Now, I can detach a Xyz Material from my King to destroy any number of spells and traps you control equal or less than to the number of Noble Arms equips I have!"

Artorigus grabbed his knight forms' ball of Xyz material and began to glow. He wiped Axe of Despair off the field with an energy blast from his sword, lowering Inpachi's ATK back to normal.

Inpachi: 2600 ATK 1600 ATK

"Now my King shall strike your Inpachi down!"

Artorigus raised the three swords and combined them. He took a swing with his large sword, cutting Inpachi into two pieces. The two pieces landed on the ground and exploded violently, robotic parts flying about.

Adrian LP: 2100

"I have a 3900 life advantage of you, brother." Geoffrey pointed at his own field of five cards compared to the three in Adrian's hand. "You might as well surrender."

As soon as Geoffrey ended, Adrian hastily drew his next card.

"I summon Blazing Inpachi from my hand!" Adrian yelled. A blazing creature with a white "18" in the middle of it formed on Adrian's side of the field.

Blazing Inpachi: 1850 ATK/0 DEF

"Next, I activate my Rebirth of the 18th! This lets me summon an Inpachi monster from my graveyard!"

The wooden creature appeared from a blast of white smoke next to Blazing Inpachi.

"Now, I'll perform a Xyz summon of my own." Adrian raised his hand into the air. "I use my two level four Inpachi monsters!"

The two monsters turned into energy that flew into a vortex above the stadium. The vortex slowly closed before a burst of flashing light lit up the entire arena. Out of the vortex came a ghost-like tree creature with two red eyes and a red murky looking "18" on its chest that moved about.

"I summon Spiritual Inpachi!" Adrian yelled.

Spiritual Inpachi: 0 ATK/3000 DEF

"He gains attack equal to the attack of all other Inpachi monsters on the field," Adrian said, "and if I detach a xyz material I can summon an Inpachi monster from my deck!"

The ghastly creature grabbed one of the floating balls flying around it and began to glow with a red aura. From the 18 on his chest, a blazing creature emerged onto the field – it was a second Blazing Inpachi.

"From my hand, I use Hidden Power of the 18th." Adrian placed the spell into his duel disk. "With this, I can banish the Blazing Inpachi I detached for Spiritual Inpachi and all Inpachi monsters I control gain that monster's attack points in addition to Spiritual's effect!"

Spiritual Inpachi: 0 ATK 3700 ATK

Blazing Inpachi: 1850 ATK 3700 ATK

"Even your Noble Knights can't stop my strength!" Adrian looked confident and ready to win.

"Really?" Geoffrey laughed loudly. "You've just allowed me to activate my Battler's Cry."

Geoffrey flipped his face down trap up – it was continuous.

"When the attack of a monster you control is changed by a monster's effect, I can double the attack points of all warriors I control."

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights: 3500 ATK 7000 ATK

Artorigus gave as loud battle cry and raised his sword in the air as the aura of power engulfed him.

"The card is destroyed when a monster dies, but until then, I get a 7000 attack card that can wipe your backrow at a low cost."

Adrian was sweating now, but he still smiled and set a card.

Geoffrey drew his next card and looked at Artorigus.

"Due to Gallatin, he loses 200 ATK during each of my standby phases."

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights: 7000 ATK 6800 ATK

"Let's start my main phase with more life gain." Geoffrey pointed to Caliburn, which surrounded him with a sparkling aura.

Geoffrey LP: 6500

"Next, I'll detach my Drystan to eliminate your set card!"

Artorigus swept the field with energy in an attempt to destroy Adrian's face down, but he flipped his targeted face down.

"I activate Sacred Barrier of the 18th!" Adrian yelled. "With this, my Inpachis can't be attacked for this turn!"

A pink barrier with a yellow "18" on it surrounded the blazing and ghastly Inpachis. The energy from Artorigus's swing faded as it left the duel platform.

"I suppose I'll just have to give you a shot at me, then." Geoffrey ended his turn, staring at his newly drawn card.

Adrian drew once again. "Using the effect of my Spiritual Inpachi, I'll detach my regular Inpachi to summon a third Blazing Inpachi from my deck!"

Another blazing creature with a white "18" on its chest appeared onto the field next to Spiritual Inpachi.

"With that, Spiritual's attack climbs even higher!"

Spiritual Inpachi: 3700 ATK 5550 ATK

"Now, I may not run the most conventional or expected deck…" Adrian looked at the newly drawn card in his hand. "But I can certainly duel for my country. I activate a second copy of Rebirth of the 18th!"

Inpachi once more rose from the grave, behind both the Blazing Inpachis and the Spiritual Inpachi in front.

"With that, I have the means to end this duel!"

One side of the crowd was holding a Russian flag and cheering wildly at Adrian. He smiled as Spiritual Inpachi's attack rose to exceed that of Artorigus's.

Spiritual Inpachi: 5550 ATK 7150 ATK

"Besides the fact that one attack over Artorigus wipes all those equips and that trap, I have the means to even decimate those life points of yours!" Adrian ordered for the growing spirit to attack. It opened its mouth and prepared to unleash a dark flame to strike down the towering Artorigus.

But Geoffrey just laughed.

"There was a time that a kind old man I knew liked to give me some nice and old rare cards." Geoffrey pointed to the card in his hand as Spiritual Inpachi unleashed the dark flames. "This card is among the rarest on the planet, and he gave it to me as a parting gift for how well I did in training."

An explosion hit the field and all anyone could see was the cloud of black smoke. It started to clear at the ends of the platform, revealing an untouched Geoffrey.

"He entrusted someone as carefree as me with this card." Geoffrey looked up and as the smoke continued to clear two sparkling wings became visible.

"This is all for him." Geoffrey looked back at the black cloud of smoke. It suddenly disappeared as the wings flapped. Artorigus remained alive, and behind him was a winged fairy with long read hair carrying a ball of light in hand.

"This is Honest," Geoffrey said, "during damage calculation, I can discard this so a LIGHT attribute monster I control that battles gains the attack points of the attacking monster."

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights: 6800 ATK 13950 ATK

Artorigus threw his sword at Spiritual Inpachi, instantly causing it to violently explode.

Adrian yelled as the smoke covered his end of the field.

Adrian LP: 0

As the smoke cleared, he was on his knees. The on field cards vanished and Geoffrey walked to him and offered a hand.

"Good duel." Geoffrey smiled.

Adrian grinned a bit and took Geoffrey's hand to help himself up. The two yelled the names of their home countries to a cheering stadium before walking back into the elevator.

DeCarte walked back to his podium with a confident look.

"An excellent duel," DeCarte said, "and I do believe we will see more duels of that caliber as the tournament begins."

Adrian and Geoffrey both reentered the room below the dueling platform and went to their ecstatic teammates.

Dave looked at Geoffrey again.

"He likes the spirit of competition, I can tell." Dave smiled.

"Anybody could tell." Darrel looked over to Dave. "But I think my Monarchs have a good advantage over those equips. Maybe I'll get to duel him."

Dave nodded. Lily continued to stare out at the night sky.

Back on the dueling platform, DeCarte continued.

"Now, with the ceremonial duel over, I will introduce the eleven teams!" Freeman raised his hands as the crowd applauded.

Dave, Darrel and Lily waited next to the elevator as Geoffrey and his teammates went in.

"This team represents Western Europe. You saw their leader triumph earlier, and now he and his teammates get a formal introduction!" Freeman pointed to the opening elevator door. "Introducing Team Dark Age!"

Geoffrey, a middle aged man, and a young boy walked onto the dueling platform waving to the people at the stadium. They took their spot at the edge of the dueling field on the platform.

"Next, this team represents the glorious Russia!" Freeman pointed to the next team walking out. "While their leader lost, their pride stands tall. Team Volga!"

Adrian looked somewhat different from the two beside him as they walked out onto the platform. One was a woman, one was male, and both looked to be Adrian's age. Despite this, the man was clothed in fur and carried a brooding look while woman was dressed in a white and blue evening gown. The three stood next to Team Dark Age.

"The third team to be introduced tonight represents Oceania! It's the only team of two in this Championship, but I introduce Sydney's Team Blue Ring!"

Two middle-aged men dressed in matching green shirts yelled out as they stepped onto the dueling platform and stood next to Team Volga.

Dave, Lily, and Darrel kept watch of the screens outside. They didn't see anybody that looked like Clovis among the group, and the room they were in was too crowded and dark to see if he was in it.

As they scanned the area, a judge tapped Darrel on the shoulder for them to go up. Dave took a deep breath and walked with Lily and Darrel into the elevator.

"Next, I introduce a team that worked hard to get here. Two of their team members grew up in poverty, but today they're going to stand before the world as some of the best duelists led by a friend!" DeCarte pointed to the elevator. "I introduce Team Enoch!"

Dave and Lily followed Darrel out the elevator and onto the platform. Darrel confidently waved at the crowd while Lily and Dave were more nervous and reserved. Geoffrey waved at the tram as they walked to stand beside Blue Ring.

Dave felt time fly by as the next few teams were introduced. Team Ordem of Brazil, Team Vahana of India, Team Black Air of China, Team Northern Light of Canada, and Team Red Sands of the Middle East all were introduced.

The first sixteen stood next to each other on one side and the latter ten were on the other side of the platform. Only two teams were left, and still no sign of Clovis among any of the current teams. Dave briefly though that maybe they were no shows.

"For the penultimate team to be introduced tonight, I give you three determined friends from Japan who are all on the top ten in the World Duelist Rankings. Introducing, Team Rising Sun!"

Two young men and a young woman all dressed in white and red leather Duel Runner outfits walked onto the stage to stand next to Team Red Sands. Their leader, Kazuto, looked at all the people on the platform. He nodded his head a bit then stood next to his teammates.

"Now, we introduce this final team." DeCarte looked at the elevator door. "Their leader is ranked as the best duelist in the world and his companions rank in the top ten. They come from the Southern United States and worked from poverty to the fame they have today, I give you…"

Dave began to breathe heavy in anticipation. He grabbed Lily's hand.

"…Team Setting Sun!" DeCarte yelled.

The three duelists walked onto the duel platform. Riker was dressed in a red suit and green tie while Clovis wore his usual black leather attire. Kenneth, tired looking, wore casual clothing.

Dave's focus shifted from Clovis to Riker. The blonde hair and scar sent him into a thousand-yard stare.

Lily could feel the sweat on Dave's palm and looked closely at Riker. She suddenly felt breathless and weak like Dave, while Darrel raised his eyebrow at their reactions.

After Riker, Clovis, and Kenneth took their positions next to Team Rising Sun, Riker looked up at the sky. Taking a big sigh, he lowered his head to look Dave straight in the eyes. Dave barely maintained his composure.

"With the eleven teams introduced, I wish them all good luck and happy dueling." DeCarte looked at Riker with a frown. "The tournament begins in five days. Practice up, make yourself at home, and prepare for the most difficult duels of your life."

The crowd cheered further. DeCarte adjusted his tie and stepped into the elevator while the teams besides Enoch and Setting Sun followed in bundles back down to the ground level.

The six remained, looking at each other. With thousands watching, all Dave could do was give a very hesitant wave at the three of them. Riker gave a grin and waved at the three, specifically eyeing Lily.

Clovis pointed to the elevator door. Lily, Dave, and Darrel decided to go to the elevator first. Riker followed.

In the elevator, Riker stood in front of the door while Lily and Dave stood up against the corners. Darrel was in the middle, still unaware of what was going on. Riker smiled at Dave and Lily.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Riker asked. "I've wanted to see you two again ever since 2112."

Dave and Lily couldn't speak.

"I didn't know you knew these two." Darrel looked up at Riker.

"Oh, yes." Riker grinned. "I met them through Dave's father. Mr. Orwell was a good man."

Darrel looked at the two of them. They were visibly petrified with fear. Darrel gave a frown at Riker when he began to understand. Riker just gave a wider grin.

The elevator door gave a dinging sound and opened at the bottom floor. Riker slowly took a step forward while looking back at the three.

"Good luck." Riker looked around. "And be careful at night, you never know when something bad might happen."

He walked off towards Setting Sun's garage. Lily and Dave both stumbled out of the elevator and ran back to their Team garage. Darrel followed closely behind, watching for anybody trying to follow them.

As soon as Darrel closed the garage door, Dave and Lily held each other and fell to their knees.

"What…." Darrel looked at them. "What did he do?"

Dave looked up at Darrel.

"They're all dead…"

Dave remembered a man with one foot on the ground and the other perched higher on a stone. He looked up in the air as he laughed, carrying an axe. The buildings burned in flames behind him while screams echoed loudly.

"My family…"


End file.
